Menu of mistrust on Mishra’s platter

BJP organisational secretary Prasanna asked to take charge of Odisha

VIJAY DEO JHA

RANCHI

Clueless state BJP bosses are decoding subtle message behind sudden shift of Prasanna Kr. Mishra as organisational secretary of the state BJP amid ongoing organisational elections of state unit.

Top sources in the BJP confided Mishra has been shifted to his home state Odisha following a decision taken by central BJP bosses in consultation with party’s national organisational secretary Ramlal, on late Monday evening.

His repatriation was kept under such a high level of secrecy that the state BJP leaders refused to admit it. State BJP president Dineshnanda Goswami parried to reply repatriation of Mishra. 

State BJP in-charge Harendra Kumar, however, accepted Mishra has been given the charge of Odisha BJP. Kumar refuted Mishra has been removed as organizational secretary of Jharkhand BJP. “He has been given dual assignment. Party felt his service is required to tone-up Odisha unit of the BJP,” Kumar said.

But top BJP sources claimed Mishra has been asked to pack-up and proceed to Odisha for a new assignment. Unofficially Mishra has been asked to stay till organisational elections of Jharkhand BJP are over by the end of December 10. It is yet not cleat as to who will replace Mishra.

 “It sounds unusual that an important functionary of the party is removed all of a sudden amid ongoing organisational elections which is a critical part of impending election of the state party head. It seems Delhi is not happy with organisational health and factionalism in the state unit. He had done his best but one can’t perform beyond a point in such a situation,” a top BJP leader said.

In the BJP, post of the organisational secretary does not come with a fixed tenure. The decision of appointment and removal of organisational secretary is taken after prior approval of the RSS because as per set tradition organisational secretary happens to be the RSS pracharak. Serving party for around three years in Jharkhand before he served West Bengal and Sikkim as well, Mishra is considered to be quite malleable and moderate unlike Ranjan Patel who was disliked by a large section of the party.

But he largely failed to strike coordination among different factions. “It probably remained one of the biggest drawbacks of his tenure,” said a senior party leader.

Mishra may be the right man to repair cracking and crumbling Odisha unit. He long wished for Odisha assignment when central BJP dispatched him to Jharkhand against his wishes. Asked to leave job in Jharkhand midway; an upset Mishra is learnt to have communicated his feeling to central bosses. Odisha BJP is a chronic case of factionalism and organisational dishevelment and Mishra is not sure whether he will be able to deliver a humdinger in short span.